Conor McGregor on CM Punk: I saw a man afraid

Top UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor spoke with Severe MMA ahead of his fight with Denis Siver on Jan. 18 in the main event of UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver in Boston, Mass. Among the subjects covered was the recent signing by the world’s dominant league of 36-year-old former WWE champion CM Punk.

McGregor breathed in thoughtfully, moved his head from side to side weighing the pros and cons, and then he began.

“I don’t have no problem with it,” he said, looking as if he had at least some problem with it. “If you bring something with you to the table, you get a seat. If you can bring something to the table, you get a seat. I feel a lot of fighters feel they get in and get signed by three letters – U, F, C. And that gives them a certain right. But you must bring something to the table. You must… show up to compete. You must show up to fight every time.

“As far as the CM Punk ting, he has a different fanbase – the W W E fans. To be honest, it’s weird to me to let an amateur come in, and do it in the pro game. I mean who knows what his skill level is like? I would like to see it the way they done it with Brock. Brock had one or two fights in a smaller league. But Brock was a different animal all together – he had Division 1 All-American wrestling status. He was a freestyle wrestling champion. Plus he was a f—ing monster of a man.”

“CM Punk? I don’t know. Listening to him speak, when I heard the broadcast announcement, I saw a man afraid. Like he signed up for something he didn’t want to be.

“Like I said to the guys the other day, when the shin bone cracks the body, or the elbow cracks, or the heel cracks… It doesn’t get much more realer than that, you know? So, personally, I don’t think he should be in this league just yet. But again, you bring asses to the seats, you bring eyeballs to the screen and we will give you a shot.”